Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, the Characters, or any Game, Movie, or TV Show content that are mentioned in this FanFiction story. They belong to their respective owners and I honor respect their great works.
After defeating the Wicked Witch of the West, Devon, Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion returned to Emerald City in triumph and stood before the Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz in his chamber with the Witch's broomstick in Devon's hands.
"Can I believe my eyes? Why have you come back?" Oz asks
Devon and Dorothy stepped forward with the Keyblade Wielder holding the broomstick up and presenting it to the Wizard.
"Please, sir. We've done what you told us. We've brought you the broomstick of the Wicked Witch of the West." Dorothy says
Devon sets the broomstick down on the green marble floor.
"We melted her." Dorothy says
"And who would've thought her one weakness was water?" Devon says
"Ah, you liquidated her, eh? Very resourceful." Oz says impressed
"Yes, sir. So we'd like you to fulfill your promises to us, if you please, sir." Dorothy says
"Not so fast. Not so fast! I have to give the matter a little thought. Go away and come back tomorrow." Oz says
The giant floating head starts to fade away and disappear as green smoke rises up while Devon and his friends were surprised and shocked by what they heard. After everything they went through, the Wizard expected them to wait?
"What?!" Devon says flabbergasted
"Tomorrow? Oh, but I want to go home now!" Dorothy says
Devon takes two steps forward and points his right-hand at the giant, floating head.
"Uh-uh! No way! You've had plenty of time already, Oz! After all that we went through just prove ourselves? There ain't no way we're accepting this last-minute delay! You promised to grant our requests and we expect you to honor it!" Devon says
"Yeah!" Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion say in unison
Hearing the complaints of his visitors, the Wizard returns with his giant head reappearing with flames erupting from the braziers and his intimidating voice bellowing throughout the chamber.
"Do not arouse the wrath of the Great and Powerful Oz! I said come back tomorrow!" Oz shouts
While the quintet were in their argument with the Wizard, Toto sniffs something strange and looked over to the left-side corner of the room, which had a booth and a closed green curtain. Curious to investigate, the small dog runs over to the booth.
"If you were really great and powerful, you'd keep your promises!" Dorothy says
"Do you presume to criticize the Great Oz? You ungrateful creatures! Think yourselves lucky that I'm giving you audience tomorrow instead of 20 years from now!" Oz says
Toto grabs the green curtain with his teeth and drags it to the right, revealing a middle-aged man hiding away inside, who was operating rotating wheels and levers and speaking into a hanging, round, silver microphone. This was the self-proclaimed Wizard of Oz: Oscar Diggs.
Oscar Diggs was a con-man and a liar who looked very similar to Professor Marvel. He had grey hair and a wrinkled, clean, shaven face, wearing a black suit with a matching bowtie around the neck of his white collared shirt underneath. Oscar was also an illusionist, using his inventive technological tricks to project the giant head as a fake illusion and fool thousands in Oz, making them believe he was a real wizard, Yet despite his reclusive behavior, underneath he was a kind and caring human.
"The Great Oz has spoken." Oscar says
Oscar looks back over his right-shoulder and jumps with a start, realizing that he was exposed to the group.
"Oh!" Oscar gasps
Grabbing the curtain, the illusionist quickly closes himself off and continues to operate the machinery inside his booth.
"Pay no one to that man behind the curtain! The Great Oz has spoken!" Oscar says
The group walks over to where Oscar was hiding and Devon pulls the curtain open with his right-hand, revealing the man once more. Oscar turns and faces the quintet, knowing he was discovered.
"Uh, hello?" Devon says with a raised right-eyebrow
"Who are you?" Dorothy asks
"Oh, I..." Oscar says
The illusionist turns back to his machinery and speaks into the microphone.
"I-I am the Great and Powerful..." Oscar says
All of Oscar's equipment in the booth shuts down and the man faces the group with a sheepish smile.
"...Wizard of Oz." Oscar says sheepishly
"You are? I don't believe you." Dorothy says
"Oh, I'm afraid it's true. There's no other wizard except me." Oscar says
"You humbug!" Scarecrow shouts pointing at the man with his right-hand
"Yeah!" Tin Man and Lion say in unison
Oscar nods his head in agreement, feeling ashamed for all his deception.
"Y-y-yes, that's exactly so. I'm a humbug." Oscar says
"Oh! You are a very bad man!" Dorothy says
The illusionist looks over at Dorothy with a sincere look of innocence on his face.
"Oh, no, my dear. I'm a very good man, I'm just a very bad wizard." Oz says
"Well, now we know why the 'Wizard of Oz' was so mysterious. You didn't want anyone to find out about your secret, that you were really a fraud and a con-man, who took advantage of everyone." Devon says crossing his arms
"What about the heart that you promised Tin Man? And the courage that you promised Cowardly Lion?" Scarecrow asks
"And Scarecrow's brain." Tin Man and Lion say in unison
Remembering his promises to the group, the self-proclaimed wizard smiled as he was more than happy to grant their requests. He started with Scarecrow first, walking up to him and placing his left-hand on his right-shoulder.
"Why, anybody can have a brain. That's a very mediocre commodity. Every pusillanimous creature that crawls on the earth or slinks through slimy seas has a brain. Back where I come from, we have universities, seats of great learning, where men go to become great thinkers. And when they come out, they think deep thoughts and with no more brains than you have. But they have one thing you haven't got: A diploma." Oscar says
Turning back to his booth, the illusionist reaches inside a compartment with his right-hand and takes out three rolled up diplomas each sealed with a red ribbon. He grabs one and opens it up, giving it to Scarecrow.
"Therefore, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Universitatus Committeeatum of E Plurbis Unum, I hereby confer upon you the honorary degree of ThD." Oscar says
"ThD?" Scarecrow asks
"Yeah, t-that's Doctor of Thinkology." Oscar says
While holding his diploma in his left-hand, Scarecrow puts his right-index finger to the side of his head and began to speak like a mathematician.
"Sum of the square roots of any isosceles triangle is equal to the square root of the remaining side." Scarecrow says
Scarecrow blinked his eyes in surprise and a happy expression came upon his face as he smiled.
"Oh, joy! Rapture! I've got a brain! How can I ever thank you enough?" Scarecrow says
"Uh, well, you can't." Oscar says
Having given Scarecrow his gift, Oscar moves onto Lion next, leading him and his friends across the throne room over to another compartment, which was on the other side in the green wall.
"And as for you, my fine friend, you're a victim of disorganized thinking. You are under the unfortunate delusion that simply because you run away from danger you have no courage. You're confusing courage with wisdom. Back where I come from, there we have men who are called 'Heroes'. Once a year, they take their fortitude out of mothballs and parade it down the main street of the city. And they have no more courage than you have. But they have one thing you haven't got: A medal." Oscar says
Opening up the secret compartment, Oscar takes out a large black bag and reaches inside with his right-hand for a moment before he takes out a bronze, elaborately-designed medal cross and presenting it to Lion. Engraved in the center of this medal underneath a silver lion on a blue ribbon banner in gold letters was the word: 'Courage'.
"Therefore, for meritorious conduct, extraordinary valor, and conspicuous bravery against wicked witches, I award you the Triple Cross." Oscar says
The self-proclaimed wizard places the medal cross on Lion's chest.
"You are now a member of the legion of courage." Oscar says
Then, Oscar places his hands on Lion's shoulders and a kiss him on both sides of his face. The anthropomorphic creature held an embarrassed expression as he blushed.
"Aww... Shucks, folks, I'm speechless. Ha ha." Lion chuckles
Lion steps away and Tin Man steps forward as Oscar speaks to him next.
"And for you, my galvanized friend, you want a heart. You don't know how lucky you are not to have one. Hearts will never be practical until they can be made breakable." Oz says
"But I, I still want one." Tin Man says
"Back where I come from, we there are men who do nothing all day but good deeds. They are called phila-uh-phila-uh..." Oz says
"Philanthropists?" Devon says
The illusionist points his right-hand at the Keyblade Wielder, thanking him for his assistance.
"Yes! That's the word, my lad! Good-deed-doers! And their hearts are no bigger than yours. But they have one thing you haven't got: A testimonial." Oz says
Going back to the black bag, Oscar reached inside and takes out a heart-shaped pocket watch.
"Therefore, in consideration for your kindness, I take great pleasure at this time in presenting you with a small token of our esteem and affection." Oz says
Oscar hands Tin Man his gift, placing it in his metal right-hand, then places his right-hand on his left-shoulder.
"And remember, my sentimental friend, that a heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others." Oscar says
Tin Man sighs with content and holds his gift close to his chest. Then, his heart-shaped pocket watch starts to tick.
"Oh! It ticks!" Tin Man exclaims
Tin Man turns to his friends and shows his ticking pocket watch to them as he holds it up to their ears.
"Listen! Look, it ticks!" Tin Man says
Lion shows his medal to his friends, proud that he finally had the nerve.
"Read what my medal says. 'Courage.' Ain't it the truth? Ain't it the truth?" Lion says pointing to his medal with his right-paw
"Oh. Oh, they're all wonderful." Dorothy says
"Yeah. Congrats, you guys. You finally got your wishes." Devon says spreading his arms out in gesture to his Ozian friends
As they were satisfied with their gifts, Scarecrow wondered if there was anything that Oscar could give to Dorothy.
"Hey, what about Dorothy?" Scarecrow asks
"Yes, what about Dorothy?" Tin Man asks
"Yeah. Dorothy next. And Devon, too." Lion says
"Yes, Dorothy, Devon, uh..." Oscar says
"Oh, that's not really necessary, guys." Devon says waving his right-hand in dismissal
"I don't think there's anything in that black bag for me." Dorothy says
Devon stands next to Dorothy on her left and places his right-hand around her waist.
"Yeah. The only thing that we'd want is to get Dorothy back to her folks. After all this excitement, I'd say she's been away from home long enough." Devon says
"Well, you've forced me into a cataclysmic decision. The only way to get Dorothy back to Kansas is for me to take her there myself." Oscar says
Dorothy gasps and stares at Oscar in surprise, then a hopeful smile formed on her face.
"Oh, will you? Could you? Oh! But are you a clever enough wizard to manage it?" Dorothy asks
"Child, you cut me to the quick. I'm an old Kansas man myself. Born and bred in the heart of the Western wilderness. Premier balloonist par excellence to the Miracle Wonderland Carnival Company." Oscar says
"Wait. You're from Kansas like Dorothy? If that's true, then how'd you end up here in the Land of Oz?" Devon asks
"Well, you see, one day, while performing spectacular feats of stratospheric skill never attempted before by civilized man, an unfortunate phenomena occurred. The balloon failed to return to the fair." Oscar says
"It did?" Lion asks
"Weren't you frightened?" Dorothy asks
"Frightened? You are talking to a man who has laughed in the face of death, sneered at doom, and chuckled at catastrophe. I was petrified." Oscar says
Oscar led the group down the small steps near his throne and towards the exit as he explained more of his story.
"Then suddenly, the wind changed and the balloon floated down into the heart of this noble city, where I was instantly acclaimed Oz, the first wizard deluxe. Times being what they were, I accepted the job, yeah, retaining my balloon against the advent of a quick getaway. Ha ha. And in that balloon, my dear Dorothy and Devon, we will return to the land of E Pluribus Unum." Oscar says
Smiles formed on Devon and Dorothy's faces as they looked at each other with the Keyblade Wielder placing his right-hand on the Kansas girl's right-shoulder as he stood next to her.
"You hear that, Dorothy? You're finally heading home!" Devon says
And so, Devon and Dorothy left the throne room with Oscar, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion to make preparations for their trip back to Kansas.
The next day, everything was ready as a large, orange and purple hot air balloon stood on a raised silver railed platform in the city just outside the Palace of Oz. On the side of the balloon was green words that read:
STATE
FAIR
OMAHA
All the citizens of Emerald City gathered around to witness the launch of the balloon as Oscar Diggs, who held a black top hat in his right-hand and a black, golden-tipped cane in the other, Devon next to him on his left, and Dorothy holding Toto in her arms, stood inside the basket, ready to begin their flight back to Kansas. Standing to their right was Scarecrow and Tin Man while Lion stood proudly on their left. Each of them were holding the ropes that tied the balloon to the platform.
"My friends, my friends. I mean, my friends!" Oscar announces
All the citizens of Emerald City cheered.
"This is positively the finest exhibition ever to be shown... Well, uh, yeah, well, be that as it may. I, your wizard, par ardua ad alta am about to embark upon a hazardous and technically unexplainable journey into the outer stratosphere!" Oscar announces
Once more, the inhabitants of Emerald City cheered for their wizard.
"To confer, converse, and otherwise hobnob with my brother wizards. And I hereby decree that until what time, if any, that I return, the Scarecrow..." Oscar announces
Oscar points back to Scarecrow on his right with his cane.
"...by virtue of his highly superior brains shall rule in my stead..." Oscar announces
Next, Oscar points to Tin Man also on his right.
"...assisted by the Tin Man, by virtue of his magnificent heart..." Oscar announces
Then, the self-proclaimed wizard pointed to Lion on his left with his hat.
"...and the Lion, by virtue of his courage. Obey them as you would me. Thank you." Oscar announces
Just before the last few seconds of the departure, Toto growls and barks as he stares at a blue-eyed Siamese cat in the arms of an Emerald City woman, who meowed at him, and he jumps right out of Dorothy's arms.
"Oh, Toto, come back! Toto, Toto!" Dorothy says
Immediately, Devon and Dorothy rush to chase after the small dog, but not before Dorothy turns back to Oscar.
"Oh, don't go without us. We'll be right back." Dorothy says
"Yes, ma'am." Oscar says
"Someone stop that dog!" Devon says
Scarecrow and Lion dropped the ropes in their hands to help Devon and Dorothy catch Toto, leaving Tin Man to hold the balloon by himself.
"This is a highly irregular procedure." Oscar says
Soon, the balloon began to take off, rising up off the platform. Tin Man struggled to keep it on the ground, but he didn't have the muscle or the manpower.
"Oh! Devon! Dorothy! The balloon's going up!" Tin Man exclaims
"This is absolutely unprecedented! Ruined my exit!" Oscar exclaims
By the time they catch Toto, Oscar and the balloon were already a few feet above the ground, far out of the group's reach. Dorothy screamed as she saw her ticket home flying away without her.
"Come back! Come back! Don't go without us! Please come back!" Dorothy screams
"I can't come back! I don't know how it works! Good-bye, folks!" Oscar says
All the citizens of Emerald City wave farewell to their wizard while the quintet stood on the platform, watching as the balloon rises higher and higher into the sky until it disappears out of sight, never to be seen again. Dorothy was devastated and begins to cry.
"Oh, now I'll never get home." Dorothy sobs
Devon places his right-hand on Dorothy's arm, offering her comfort, as does Tin Man and Lion, who place their hands on Dorothy's shoulders.
"Stay with us then, Dorothy. We all love you and Devon. We don't want you to go." Lion says
"That's very kind of you, but this could never be like Kansas. Auntie Em must've stopped wondering what happened to me by now." Dorothy says
Dorothy turns to Devon on her left, hoping that he might have a solution.
"Oh, Devon, what are we going to do?" Dorothy asks
The Keyblade Wielder stared at the poor Kansas girl, unable to respond to her.
"I... Uh... I don't know, Dorothy..." Devon stammers
Just when all hope seemed lost, Scarecrow notices something in the sky and points at it with his diploma in his left-hand.
"Look! Here's someone who can help you!" Scarecrow exclaims
Everyone looks up as they saw a large pink magic bubble floating down into the Emerald City. The bubble descends and lands near a small garden, then changes into Glinda, the Good Witch of the North.
"Glinda!" Devon exclaims
Glinda walks through the crowd, passing the men and women of Emerald City, who take off their hats and bow low in respect to her presence, and steps up onto the platform that the group stood on.
"Oh, will you help us? Can you help us?" Dorothy asks
"You don't need to be helped any longer. You've always had the power to return to Kansas." Glinda says
"I have?" Dorothy asks
"Why couldn't you tell her before?" Devon asks
"Because she wouldn't have believed me. She had to learn it for herself." Glinda says
"What have you learned, Dorothy?" Tin Man asks
Dorothy turns and looks at her friends for a moment, then faces Glinda again, realizing now the importance of value.
"Well... I think that it, that it wasn't enough just to see Uncle Henry and Auntie Em. And it's that if I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own backyard. Because if it isn't there, I really never lost it to begin with. Is that right?" Dorothy says
"That's all it is." Glinda says
"But that's so easy. I should've thought of it for you." Scarecrow says
"I should've felt it in my heart." Tin Man says
"No, she had to discover it for herself. Now those magic Ruby Slippers will take you home in two seconds." Glinda says pointing down at Dorothy's feet with her magic wand
The quintet gaze down at the Ruby Slippers for a brief moment, then look back up at Glinda.
"Oh, Toto and Devon too?" Dorothy asks
"Toto and Devon too." Glinda says with a smile
"Now?" Dorothy asks
"Whenever you wish." Glinda says
Dorothy's face beamed with happiness. She would finally be able to return home after all.
"Oh, dear. That's too wonderful to be true!" Dorothy exclaims happily
However, Dorothy stopped and turned around, looking at Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion with a now sad expression as her happiness slowly went away, knowing well enough that returning home to Kansas means leaving her friends behind.
"Oh, it's... It's gonna be so hard to say good-bye. I love you all too." Dorothy says
First, Dorothy approaches Tin Man, saying good-bye to him.
"Good-bye, Tin Man." Dorothy says
Tin Man was already crying, holding his heart-shaped pocket watch as tears streamed from his eyes.
"Oh, don't cry. You'll rust so dreadfully." Dorothy says
The Kansas girl takes out her handkerchief and uses it to dry the metal man's tears. She then takes out the oil can from her basket and gives it to him.
"Here. Here's your oil can." Dorothy says
Tin Man holds his oil can in his left-hand and Dorothy gives him a kiss on the left-cheek of his face.
"Good-bye." Dorothy says
"Now I Know I've got a heart because it's breaking." Tin Man says
Next, Dorothy turns to Lion on her right, saying farewell to him.
"Good-bye, Lion. You know, I know it isn't right, but I'm gonna miss the way you used to holler for help before you found your courage." Dorothy says
"I would never have found it if it hadn't been for you or Devon." Lion says
Finally, Dorothy embraces Scarecrow in a warm hug, wrapping her arms around him.
"Good-bye, Scarecrow." Dorothy says
Soon, they pull away and Dorothy gives Scarecrow a kiss on his right-cheek.
"I'll miss you." Dorothy says
"Gosh, I'll miss you too, Dorothy, 'cause now I'll be thinking of you and Devon every day." Scarecrow says
Once she was finished, Dorothy steps back as Devon moves up to say farewell to the Ozian Trio. The Keyblade Wielder shakes their hands and hugs each of them in turn.
"Tin Man, Lion, Scarecrow... Good luck, you guys. It's been swell. I'm sure you'll all do great." Devon says
"Good luck to you too, Devon." Scarecrow says
"Yes. Good luck on becoming a Keyblade Master." Tin Man says
"We sure are gonna miss you." Lion says
Devon smiles and nods his head. Having said farewell to their friends, Devon and Dorothy turn to Glinda.
"Are you both ready now?" Glinda asks
Devon and Dorothy both nod their heads to the Good Witch of the North.
"Yes." Dorothy says
Dorothy turns to her friends one last time and waves Toto's right-paw in farewell with her right-hand.
"Say good-bye, Toto." Dorothy says
Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion wave their hands good-bye to the small dog. After that, Devon grabs hold of Dorothy's right-hand and they turn back to Glinda.
"Yes, we're ready now." Dorothy says
"Then close your eyes and tap your heels together three times." Glinda says
Dorothy does as instructed and closes her eyes, tapping her heels in the Ruby Slippers three times. Devon closed his eyes as well.
"And think to yourself: 'There's no place like home. There's no place like home'." Glinda says
"There's no place like home. There's no place like home." Dorothy says
As Dorothy spoke these words over and over, time seemed to stop as everything magically goes back to the way it was. The farmhouse spinning and falling from the sky until it hits the ground with a crashing sound.
Now returning back to Kansas, Dorothy was lying in her old bedroom of the farmhouse with a grey rag over her forehead, muttering the words she said in the Land of Oz. No longer was the brownish sepia tone present in the world. Now, everything was in true color.
"There's no place like home. There's no place like home. There's no..." Dorothy says
"Wake up, Dorothy." A female voice says
"There's no place like home. There's no place like home. There's no..." Dorothy says
The Kansas girl slowly opens her eyes as she regains consciousness. Looking around, she noticed that she was now in her room. Then, Dorothy saw her Aunt Em at the left-side of her bed.
"Dorothy! Dorothy, dear. It's Aunt Em, darling."
Dorothy places her right-hand on her aunt's left-hand while she caresses her face lovingly with her other hand.
"Oh, Auntie Em, it's you!" Dorothy gasps
"Yes, darling." Em says
As she stared at her aunt and uncle, the Kansas girl remembered her friend, Devon, and looked around the room, wondering where he was.
"Oh. Wait. Where's Devon?" Dorothy asks
"He's right here, Dorothy. Don't worry. He's safe." Henry says
Devon was laid out on the floor at the foot of Dorothy's bed with a soft pillow behind his head, a blanket covering his body, and a rag on his head. As soon as Henry mentions him, the Keyblade Wielder opens his eyes and awakens.
"Mmm... Uhh..." Devon groans
The Keyblade Wielder slowly rises and sits up straight and looks around at the bedroom, noticing how he could now see the color of the world, instead of the brown sepia tone.
"We're back..." Devon says
Devon rises up onto his feet and looks over at Dorothy on his left. A smile forms on his face and he nods his head.
"Devon. How are you, dear?" Em asks
The young teen looks over at the farm lady on his right, acknowledging her concern for him.
"Oh, I'm alright, ma'am. That tornado was one heck of a doozey." Devon says
"Hello there! Anybody home?" A male voice says
The group received an unexpected visitor as Professor Marvel appears at the window of Dorothy's bedroom.
"I, uh, I just dropped by because I heard the little girl and her friend got caught in the big..." Marvel says
The man looks over at his right and saw the two teens, relieved to see that they were well.
"We-he-hell, they seem alright now." Marvel says
"Yeah, they got quite a bump on the head. We kind of thought for a minute they was gonna leave us." Henry says
"Oh." Marvel says
"But I did leave you, uncle. That's just the trouble. Both me and Devon. We tried to get back for days and days!" Dorothy says sitting up
"There, there, lie quiet now. You just had a bad dream." Em says patting her right-hand on Dorothy's left-shoulder
More visitors entered the room as the three farm workers: Hunk, Hickory, and Zeke came in to see Devon and Dorothy.
"Remember me? Your old pal Hunk?"
"And me, Hickory?"
"You couldn't forget my face, could you?" Zeke says
"No. But it wasn't a dream. It was a place." Dorothy says
"Right. A world called Oz. I know it sounds crazy, but it was as real as can be." Devon says
"Yes. And you, and you, and you, and you were there." Dorothy says pointing with her left-hand at the three farm hands and Professor Marvel
Hunk, Hickory, Zeke, and Professor Marvel chuckled.
"But you couldn't have been, could you?" Dorothy asks placing her left-hand on her forehead
"Geez. My head's hurting enough as it is trying to process all that just happened." Devon says putting his left-hand on his waist and his right-hand on his head
"Oh, we dream lots of silly things when we-" Em says
"No, Aunt Em, this was a real, truly live place. And I remember that some of it wasn't very nice. But most of it was beautiful. But just the same, all I kept saying to everybody was: 'I wanna go home!' And they sent me home with Devon." Dorothy says
Everyone chuckles. Clearly, they thought what Dorothy and Devon both experienced was a dream. Of course, the Keyblade Wielder expected this since these people were simple folk, who didn't believe much in fairytales.
"Doesn't anybody believe me?" Dorothy asks
"Of course, we believe you, Dorothy." Henry says
Then, Toto appears in the room, jumping up onto Dorothy's bed as the Kansas girl wraps her arms around the small dog.
"But anyway, Toto, we're home! Home! And this is my room. And you're all here. And I'm not going to leave here ever, ever again, because I love you all. And... Oh, Auntie Em... There's no place like home!" Dorothy says smiling
Devon sat down next to Dorothy and she wraps her right-arm around him, happy to be back home in Kansas with her Auntie Em, Uncle Henry, and her friends.
Later that evening, the Keyblade Wielder stood outside the farmhouse on the road, ready to continue on with his journey, while Dorothy, Em, Henry, Hunk, Hickory, and Zeke gathered together to say good-bye.
"So, Devon, dear, you're leaving then?" Em says
"Yeah. It was very kind of you all to have me on your farm, but I think its time I hit the road. I've got places I need to be and friends who are waiting for me." Devon says pointing back to the road with his right-thumb over his shoulder
"Well, you take care of yourself, Devon. You'll always be welcome here on the farm. Thank you for being such a good friend to Dorothy." Em says
Devon nods his head and shakes Em's hand.
"Anytime, ma'am." Devon says
Henry steps forward and shakes his hand with Devon.
"Don't be a stranger, you hear, Devon?" Henry says
"Heh heh. I'll try." Devon chuckles
Devon moves on to the three farm workers next and he shakes each of their hands in turn as they bid him farewell.
"Take care, Devon." Hunk says
"Take care." Hickory says
"Safe travels." Zeke says
"Thanks, guys." Devon says
Finally, Devon comes up to Dorothy, who stood in the middle of the group. The Kansas girl steps up to Devon with a slightly sad expression.
"Good-bye, Devon. I'll miss you." Dorothy says
"Me too, Dorothy." Devon says
Toto, who stood by his owner's feet, lets out two barks, causing the Keyblade Wielder and Kansas girl to look down at him. Devon kneels down to the small terrier and picks him up in his hands, standing him on his hind legs on his right-knee with his front paws resting on the young teen's chest. He strokes his right-hand down along the dog's head and back, looking at Toto with a smile on his face.
"Bye, Toto. You and Dorothy stay out of trouble, alright?" Devon says
Toto whimpers and affectionately licks the right-side of Devon's face five times, causing him and everyone else to chuckle. Rising up to his feet, Devon hands Toto over to Dorothy, who takes her dog in her left-arm. She then wraps her free arm around Devon, embracing him in a tight hug.
"Thank you for everything." Dorothy says
Devon closes his eyes and smiles as he wraps his arms around Dorothy, embracing her and returning the hug. He soon pulls away, stares at the Kansas girl and her dog one last time, then starts walking down the road. After five steps, the Keyblade Wielder stops, turns around, and glances back at the Gale Family, waving his left-hand to them, and they wave back with smiles on their faces. Devon gives them a smile of his own, then turns and heads down the road.
Miles away from the Gale Farm, Devon walks along the dirt road until he stops and glances down the path he came from, thinking of what Dorothy said to her Aunt Em.
"No place like home..." Devon says
As he said this, Devon thought back to the worlds he knew. Destiny Islands, where he lived with his own aunt and uncle. Berk, where he felt at home with the Vikings and Dragons that lived there. And Hogwarts, where he was friends with many witches, wizards, and magical creatures. Then, he remembered the Celestial Realm, his first home. Devon would like nothing more than to see his birth place once more, but he knew that was almost impossible since it was destroyed by the Teridax, Dark Lord of the Shadows and his evil empire, consumed by the darkness. He wished there was a way to restore the Celestial Realm and bring it back into the Realm of Light. But there was one thing that the Keyblade Wielder did know, a certain truth that he knew deep down in his heart.
"No matter where I go or where it is..." Devon says
The young teen looks down at his chest and places his right-hand over where his heart was.
"Home is where the heart lies." Devon says
Devon looks up and watches with a smile as a beautifully colored rainbow appears, streaking across the evening sky.
Then, a large, circular section of the sky shatters like glass, revealing the sleeping keyhole. Soul Calibur appears in Devon's right-hand in a flash of blue light, reacting to the presence of the keyhole. A pure aura envelopes Devon's body and his crystal Keyblade begins to shine brightly with its benevolent light. Aiming his Keyblade up at the sky, Devon shoots a beam of light, striking the keyhole and causing it to shine brightly. Devon stares at the light as it engulfs him and he continues onward with his epic journey.
In Loving Memory of:
Judy Garland
10 June 1922 - 22 June 1969
An eternal icon of Hollywood.
One of the greats of entertainment.
May her shining star forever fly "Over the Rainbow".
Author's Note: And that's the end of Devon's adventure in the Wizard of Oz. Dorothy is finally back in Kansas, and Devon is back to continuing his Mark of Mastery Exam. Now, it's onto the next world, which everyone has been dying to get to: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban! I'm very excited to get started on this myself. Let me know what you guys think. No flames please. Hope you guys like and don't forget to review!